​Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is looking for three new non-executive directors (NEDs) to offer challenge and support to the executive team.

The appointment of the three new non-executive directors to the Norfolk and Waveney Board coincides with the exciting development to merge with Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

The merger will bring significant benefits to patients as well as greater opportunities for staff.

The new Trust will be better placed to develop new services across the wider region reducing the need to send people out of Norfolk and Suffolk and allowing them to receive care closer to home.

The Trust is keen to ensure that the newly appointed NEDs are representative of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Board will already have five NED’s (including the Chair) from Norfolk andWaveney, therefore applications from Suffolk are particularly welcome so there is a balanceacross the two counties.

Anyone interested must be passionate about building on success, bring strong leadership,insight, strategic vision, sound judgement and a deep understanding of corporate and financial governance to the Foundation Trust Board, as well as sharing public service valuesThe Trust is looking for people who can bring knowledge and understanding of running a multi million pound business, whilst providing a vital service for vulnerable people.

"I have been a non-executive with the Trust for three years. In a long career in senior executive and non-executive roles this has, genuinely, been the most exciting and rewarding yet.

“A foundation trust is a fascinating combination of a deep public service ethic and up-to-the-minute business practice. To be able to contribute my skills to something as important andfundamental as mental health has been a real privilege.”

In broadening the professional expertise of the Board through these appointments, theChair is particularly keen to hear from those with a clinical background. Candidates must live in Norfolk or Suffolk.

To find out more please visit www.wholelifecare.co.uk or for an informal discussion contactEmma Pickup on 0870 165 4254 or Lynn McGill on 0870 190 4379. The closing date forapplications is 7 March 2011.

Notes for editors

As an NHS organisation, the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is part of the health service in the area.

The Trust also works in partnership with its commissioners and with other statutory andvoluntary agencies to ensure a comprehensive service to the local population. For instance, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) works closely with the Local Authorities' education services, staff working with older people have links with the Alzheimer’s Society and Age Concern, and the Forensic Service works closely with the courts and Prison Service. All specialties work to re-integrate service users into the community.

2,600 staff are employed by the Trust, to provide a variety of clinical and non-clinical support to service users. The non-clinical support is provided by the business support functions, e.g. maintenance services, health records and other corporate functions. It is because of this integrated way of working that the Trust is able to deliver innovative and quality services.

Recent Investments

The Trust’s Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Unit opened in Spring 2009. Designed by and for service users and their carers with the support of staff, this purpose built facility is carbon neutral, having being designed to the highest standards of specification and efficiency. The unit provides 10 psychiatric intensive care unit beds and 12 low secure beds for people experiencing serious episodes of mental illness.

The Trust has begun building work for its new Dementia Intensive Care Unit which will expand the existing services the Trust provides and will look to provide for the growing need for these services in the medium term as well as supporting research in this area. The 36-bed Dementia Intensive Care Unit (DICU) will be built at the Trust’s Julian Hospital site in Norwich and is set to open in May 2012. The DICU will become the core of the Trust’s dementia care service providing expertise, training, care delivery, academic research and reputation and will equip the Trust to be the leaders on world-class dementia care in Norfolk.

The Trust is closely aligned with commissioner needs and has developed a very clearunderstanding of the growing mental health issues across the region. In particular they areworking closely with Commissioners in developing the Improving Access to PsychologicalTherapies service (IAPTs). With other new opportunities to both expand existing and grow new services, the Trust is well positioned to respond as tenders are developed.